The sheep and the Chevrolet, a journey through Kurdistan
Francois Balsan
Paul Elek publishers, ltd.
The Kurds are a very ancient people. Deeply rooted to their ancestral soil, which lies astride three countries - Turkey, Irak and Iran - they have been there, so history tells us, for more than three thousand years, close to what is probably the cradle of their race, the Zagros Mountains. Small wonder that they have always intrigued me.
The famous Hittites, in whom the modern ethnologists of Ankara have discovered a kinship with the Turks, cannot boast of much greater antiquity, for their occupation of Asia Minor hardly goes back beyond 1900 B.C. Moreover, about a thousand years before our times, such semblance of unity and civilisation as they had evolved began to disintegrate; their dominion was therefore limited, whereas the vigour and stability of the Kurd are almost unique.
Their neighbours and masters, the Turks (for long masters in name only), consented to marriages with immigrant peoples, perhaps losing thereby a little of the race's individuality; but in the sixteenth century they attained the zenith of their power under the Khalifs with Soliman the Magnificent and then, after a long decline, their present-day political zenith under the Republic. During all this time the Kurds remained barbarians; clinging to their mountains, their sole interests were for their flocks of sheep or buffalo. .....
Contents
Part one: Preparation 1. The lure of Kurdistan / 9 2. Objective: Sheep / 12 3. Istanbul / 15 4. Ankara / 18 5. Our guide / 24 6. Across Anatolia by train / 27 7. Our chauffeur haul / 32
Part two: the approach 8. The Murad valley / 39 9. In the Kurd forest / 45 10. Hospitality at Bingöl / 50 11. Among the nomads / 57 12. Mush: valley of milk and honey / 61 13. The Varto incident / 66 14. The lights over the lake / 73 15. The retreat of the ten thousand / 78 16. The south shore of lake Van / 84 17. Amongst the Armenian ruins / 89 18. The sports club / 93
Part three: around van 19. The governor / 99 20. Old van / 103 21. The eve of departure / 109 22. Amongst the eagles / 115 23. The sorcerer / 119 24. Still higher / 122 25. At bey nafi's camp / 125 26. The treasures of nebirnao / 131 27. News from his Excellency / 136
Part four: towards Iran 28. On the road to iran / 143 29. The curious supper at Başkale / 146 30. Deir or the last Armenian sanctuary / 150 31. Khanasur, threshold of iran / 159 32. The rattle of arms / 171
Illustrations 1. Frontispiece: Elazik 2. The Ramparts of Istanbul 3. Islam permeates all Istanbul 4. Our official guide, Setke Bey, is thirsty 5. Mules-the lorries of Istanbul 6. New Ankara 7. Alley on the heights of Ankara 8. Turkish woman 9. Kurdish shepherd-Palu region 10. Ana wkward spot 11. Old caravaneer, Bitlis 12. Kurdish shearer-Palu region 13. Kurdish women do not wear the veil, but they stick to the shadows 14. A little dreamer 15. A handsome face 16. Kurdish big-sister, near Bingo! 17. Buffaloes bathing 18. A sybarite 19. The Kurdish forest-Soulou-Han district 20. In the bush 21. Young scamp-south of the lake 22. The women on the roof-south of the lake 23. Van-Seljuk city on the Gheurab 24. Van-Seljuk watchtower 25. Van-entrance to the fortified city 26. Van-the Seljuk donjon 27. Sealed tomb, near Van 28. Riverside village with its piles of cowdung for fuel 29. Vaneykian base of the citadel of Van 30. Harvesting 31. Panoramic view of Koshab Castle 32. Suliman the Yellow guarded the pass 33. The Koshab bridge 34. The southern track round the lake, built by the Turks 35. Koshab-Kaleh, Suliman's castle 36. Destruction of Van (1916) 37. The profaned sanctuary of Deir 38. En route to Khanasur 39. An ox 40. Silhouette of the Ala Tagh 41. Bayburt
THE LURE OF THE KURDISTAN
The Kurds are a very ancient people. Deeply rooted to their ancestral soil, which lies astride three countries - Turkey, Irak and Iran - they have been there, so history tells us, for more than three thousand years, close to what is probably the cradle of their race, the Zagros Mountains. Small wonder that they have always intrigued me.
The famous Hittites, in whom the modern ethnologists of Ankara have discovered a kinship with the Turks, cannot boast of much greater antiquity, for their occupation of Asia Minor hardly goes back beyond 1900 B.C. Moreover, about a thousand years before our times, such semblance of unity and civilisation as they had evolved began to disintegrate; their dominion was therefore limited, whereas the vigour and stability of the Kurd are almost unique.
Their neighbours and masters, the Turks (for long masters in name only), consented to marriages with immigrant peoples, perhaps losing thereby a little of the race's individuality; but in the sixteenth century they attained the zenith of their power under the Khalifs with Soliman the Magnificent and then, after a long decline, their present-day political zenith under the Republic. During all this time the Kurds remained barbarians; clinging to their mountains, their sole interests were for their flocks of sheep or buffalo.
For an amateur student of ethnology they and their geographical setting provide an intriguing subject of investigation. I had met two travellers who had lately tried to get into Kurdistan, and had been promptly turned out by the Turkish authorities. This was hardly encouraging. But, taking all in all, it was hardly astonishing that the Turkish military powers-that-be should prove somewhat intransigent. The Kurds are a wild people and none too easy to manage.
The Sultans, though they reigned in principle over the eastern mountains and embodied them in those quaint prettily - coloured maps with amusing annotations, visited them as little as possible, and refrained from taking any action there.
This situation lasted from the sixteenth century until about 1840 when Constantinople decided to make sure of its hold on Van, an important productive centre. This necessitated a regular campaign…
Francois Balsan
The sheep and the Chevrolet A journey through Kurdistan
Paul Elek
Paul Elek publishers, ltd. Thirty eight Hatton garden London
Published by Paul Elek publishers, ltd. 38, Hatton Garden, London, E.C.1 1947
Catalogue No. 162 / 9 Printed by George Reynolds, Ltd., London, E.1
Prix Galicia 1945 of the Société de Géographie de France.
